Serpentine Valentine
by Cakedecorator
Summary: In a world where Ladybug doesn't exist yet and Cat Noir's on Hawk Moth's side, Marinette is just a normal girl who helps her friends and sometimes gets into akuma trouble. With Valentine's Day coming up, she feels left out since most of her friends have paired up. But then she wakes up to a note, a rose, and an SD card in her room... Rated T, Season 3 Spoilers.


**Okay, here's another Valentine's Day ML one-shot! Let's give our snaky blueberry boy some time in the spotlight, shall we?**

**If it's received well enough, who knows, I may turn this into a legitimate AU. **

**In a world where Marinette isn't Ladybug YET, and Cat Noir's on Hawk Moth's side, the only superhero in Paris is Viperion, but he only has so many Second Chances, you know? And he always has to find a way to contain the akumas and amoks, meanwhile none of the damage gets fixed. **

**And with Valentine's Day coming up, everyone's trying to stay happy and loved to avoid any trouble. **

**Meanwhile, Marinette's feeling left out. Most of her friends and classmates have paired up - Alya has Nino, Myléne's got Ivan, Rose and Juleka are all but inseparable, and needless to say, it's a bit lonely. **

**But her love life goes from nonexistent to very interesting when she wakes up one morning to a rose and an SD card with a note in her room.  
**

**Credit to ghostgirl19 for inspiration! I thought I'd use a premise similar to her story "Blood Red Roses."**

**Song included (with modifications): "You're In My Head Like a Catchy Song" from "The Perfect Pear" from MLP: Friendship is Magic, Season 7. **

* * *

_*BANG!* *HIT!* *YELP!* *CRASH!* "SECOND CHANCE!" *FLASH!*_

Yet another day in Paris, France. But as was the norm these days, the city was once again under siege by Cat Noir, the heavy lifter for the wicked Hawk Moth's dirty work, and often an aid for the akumatized supervillains or amokitized sentimonsters that often - or rather, almost daily - laid waste to the city.

Cat Noir was a young blonde man with green eyes, with a black-cat themed suit. But his eyes were glued to his opponent. On the ground a fair distance away, another young man, in a teal-green suit, and a mask that resembled the face of a snake, and a matching lyre in hand. His hair was dark with teal-green tips.

"Listen, Viperion," Cat Noir said bitterly as he approached. "Let's put each other out of our own misery and stop fighting. We're already responsible for more than half the city being in ruins. You've already defeated the villain. Just hand me your bangle and we can put and end to this! The citizens can just go back to a normal life!"

"No," Viperion said as he sat up. "You're not getting my Miraculous. Not now, not ever."

With a sad sigh, Cat Noir replied, "Should've known you'd _purr-__otest_."

The snake didn't respond to the joke, instead rolling over as Cat Noir jumped and tried to hit him with his staff.

Nearby, two girls were hiding behind some of the wreckage, watching from a safe distance. One had dark red hair that went down to her shoulders and hazel eyes framed by glasses, meanwhile the other had dark hair in pigtails with blue eyes. She was hiding behind the first girl, a little cautious.

"Alya, should we _really_ be here?" The girl in the pigtails questioned. "Those two have been going at it for too long. We're likely to get hurt."

"Not if we stay out of sight!" Alya insisted. "Marinette, you gotta lighten up a bit. You know how Cat Noir is about keeping civilians out of the crossfires!"

"But-" Marinette protested, but then she saw the teal hero was still engaging in hand-to-hand combat with Cat Noir, including kicks, punches, etc., and other fancy moves.

But then Cat Noir shoved Viperion in the chest, sending him into a brick wall across the way. He fell onto his stomach on the ground, then tried standing up.

Something snapped in Marinette, and then she dashed out from hiding.

_"Marinette! Stop!" _Alya shouted.

Her cries fell on deaf ears, as Marinette ran right into the fight. She saw that Cat Noir had extended his baton to hold Viperion up against the wall by his chest.

He had his ring hand up and was about to call for a Cataclysm, but he looked at Viperion and said, "I'm sorry, but I-"

_"STOP!" _Marinette hollered as she tackled Cat Noir to the ground nearby, allowing Viperion to be released.

The snake boy slid to the ground, then looked up to see Cat Noir wrestling with Marinette.

"Hey, you stay out of this!" Cat Noir snarled.

"You leave him alone!" Marinette barked.

Cat Noir grabbed her by the arm and threw her over his shoulder and onto the ground nearby.

Viperion gasped, then pulled his bangle back, shouting, _"Second Chance!" _

They were now back at the moment when he was on the ground and Cat Noir was trying to convince him to surrender.

"Listen, Viperion," Cat Noir said bitterly as he approached. "Let's put each other out of our own misery and stop fighting. We're-"

Viperion got up and lunged for Cat Noir's legs. He knocked Cat Noir down, and the two of them started wrestling again.

_"Marinette, stop!" _A voice shouted.

Viperion saw the girl running towards them. He and Cat Noir broke away, just as she barreled into the latter to get him away from Viperion.

"Stop this! You let him-" Marinette began, but Cat Noir took out his baton to try and hit her.

Viperion ran towards them. But Cat Noir was successful in pushing Marinette off and sending her a fair distance.

_"Second Chance!" _Viperion shouted while pulling his bangle back.

Again, Cat Noir and Viperion were tussling, each trying to overpower each other. Cat Noir was able to push Viperion away, and both boys were taking their weapons out.

_"Marinette, stop!" _

Marinette was running at them again, but this time Cat Noir was focused on the girl instead of the fight. Marinette rammed herself into Cat Noir's stomach to knock him away, but then the black cat snagged the lady's arms.

"Stay out of this! I don't like non-combatants getting..." Cat Noir began to ramble.

Taking advantage of his distraction, Viperion threw his lyre at Cat Noir's face, knocking the cat a fair distance away, but at the same time, Marinette fell on her rear. Viperion then dashed for the girl, scooped her up in his arms, and then he started leaping back to her previous hiding spot.

"Marinette! Are you okay?!" Alya asked as she kept recording. Viperion set Marinette down.

"I'm good..." Marinette breathed.

"That was _very_ brave of you, Marinette," Viperion gently said to Marinette. "But you shouldn't go and put yourself in danger like that. Regardless, thank you, that was just the distraction I needed. Just promise me you won't do that again?"

"I... I won't." Marinette said, blushing a bit.

"Good..." Viperion said with a smile, but he was staring at Marinette for some reason, and she was staring back at him with a similar expression.

After the fight was wrapped up (Oddly enough, it was Cat Noir that insisted that they call it off for the day because of Marinette. Viperion agreed.), the girls went back to the school. Since akuma attacks were scarce at the schools, as well as causing very little damage when they _did_ occur, everyone was able to attend school without much problem. There were still protocols just in case.

"I can't believe I got footage of _you_ jumping head-first into danger like that, girl!" Alya said, excited before turning to Marinette, enthusiastic. "I never thought you were that brave!"

"I normally wouldn't," Marinette admitted. "But something inside me told me to do it."

"Either way, that was both _unreal_ and scary, girl," Alya agreed. "I can't wait to get this video up on the blog! I'm sure you'll be labeled an everyday superhero by the public!"

Marinette shook her head. She looked around and saw a lot of red, pink, and white decorations. Hearts, cupids, and other romantic things. She saw there was a stand that was taking sales for heart-shaped candy apples, red and pink chocolate macarons, (provided Marinette's parents, the Dupain-Cheng bakery owners), and chocolate truffles courtesy of the local chocolatier.

"Wow, I nearly forgot that Valentine's Day was coming up," Alya said as she put her phone down and crossed her arms. "The school's getting all excited about it."

Marinette gave a nod before saying, "Yeah, I nearly spaced on it, too."

Marinette also noticed that there were plenty of couples getting close to each other. There were some pairs of her classmates, such as Ivan, a larger boy with a tuft of blonde hair, gently holding a smaller, chunkier blonde girl with golden eyes, Myléne.

Marinette heaved a light sigh before asking, "You and Nino have a date that day, I assume?"

"You'd be right," Alya said as she checked her calendar on her phone. "Thanks for reminding me."

She noticed that her best friend was feeling down, so Alya asked, "Wanna tag along with me and Nino?"

"No thanks," Marinette said. "You know I hate third-wheeling on your dates."

The girls heard loud, babyish crying, and then they caught sight of the mayor's daughter, Chloé Bourgeois, running away from something, crying for her dad.

"Chloé? What's gotten her so upset?" Marinette asked as she saw the conceited blonde running away in tears.

"Who cares? She probably deserves it anyway." Alya said with a shrug.

"You can say that again." Marinette agreed.

"Who cares? She probably deserves it anyway." Alya repeated, and then the girls laughed.

"What are _you_ laughing at?" A voice asked, and the girls shouted in surprise before turning to the source.

Blonde. Green eyes. Giving them an unamused look - it was Adrien Agreste, one of the most hated people in school, next to Chloé. He was Gabriel Agreste's son, and the brand's best model.

If there was a contest for the least popular person in school, Lila Rossi was #1, Chloé and her lackey, Sabrina Raincomprix were tied for the #2 spot, while Adrien himself was #3.

"Just laughing at Chloé's misfortune, Adrien," Alya said. "What's it to _you?_"

"Just the fact that bitch had the gall to ask me out for Valentine's Day," Adrien scoffed. "Told her right to her face that like Lila, I don't want anything to do with her. Childhood friends? Ancient history, and I told her that that's how it's gonna stay."

"With that kind of attitude, as if anyone would want _you_ to be their Valentine." Marinette stated, crossing her arms.

Adrien's eyes flashed a bit, but then he sighed and said, "Well... I'm sure anyone would be lucky to have _you_ as their Valentine, Marinette."

"Oh... Um, thank you." Marinette said, and she and Alya looked at each other in confusion.

There it was. The confusing, ironic juxtaposition of "asshole Adrien" and "civil Adrien." If it were anyone else, any slight or mean comment would be met with harsh cruelty, and a possible akumatization at Adrien's hands. He'd caused more akumatizations than could be counted on both hands... of Alya, Nino, Marinette, _and Chloé_ _combined_.

But whenever the "offender" was Marinette, he was the exact _opposite_. Anything she said or did was always met with a kind and sincere comment, but no smile on his face, and maybe a slight blush.

"For once, I agree with you, Adrien. And at least you have the decency not to insult Marinette about Valentine's Day. Speaking of which," Alya said, changing the subject and turning back to her best friend. "Do you have any time to make something for Nino for his gift?"

"Sure," Marinette said with a nod. "I can help you out with that. In fact, let me show you how to do a few things..."

Adrien coughed loudly into his fist and said, "Excuse me?"

"Yes?" Marinette asked Adrien. She was cautious.

"I just wanted to ask you if you'd..." Adrien began, but...

"No," Alya said. "Marinette has better things to do than waste her time with the third least popular person in school! Come on, girl, we're going to be late for our next class."

Alya dragged Marinette away, as Adrien gave an indignant shout.

"Alya, what was that about?" Marinette began as Alya kept leading her away.

"He's a total douche, Marinette," Alya stated. "You deserve better than him for your Valentine!"

"He's not _that_ bad, is he?" Marinette questioned. "He's good enough to _me_."

"That's just it: he's only nice to _YOU_ for some crazy reason," Alya explained. "You're an amazing girl, but again, you don't deserve someone as awful as him as a Valentine."

"...What if I don't even _have_ a Valentine this year?" Marinette asked aloud.

"Of course you will, girl! Just don't settle for Agreste." Alya said as the girls started going to their next class.

That evening, Marinette had finished eating dinner with her parents, and she was upstairs in her room in her pajamas.

She'd completed her homework, and she was now looking over her sketchbook with a keen eye. She was looking at a Valentine's Day-themed wedding ensemble for both a bride and a groom. The tuxedo was a dark red jacket over a white shirt and a dark red bow tie. The dress was a white A-line ballgown with pale pink hearts on the hem, it had wrist-length butterfly sleeves from an off-shoulder neckline. There were also pale pink hearts in various places on the dress. They were noticeable, but they were also subtle enough that it didn't detract from the dress.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Marinette asked herself.

She imagined herself wearing the dress, but she was standing next to a faceless groom, almost as if she were marrying the headless horseman. She immediately purged that image out of her mind.

She yawned heavily, then looked out her bedroom window: it was black, and Marinette realized that it was time for her to get some sleep. So, she climbed up the stairs to her loft bed to rest for the night.

However, the brief passing thought of being alone on Valentine's Day flashed through her brain before it shut down for the evening. In fact, she was so tired that she didn't notice that her ceiling entrance to her balcony was still open a slight crack...

* * *

The next morning, Marinette woke up, then sat up in the bed. She looked at the calendar on her wall, and saw that it was February 1st. Just shy of two weeks before the big holiday. She sighed, thinking about all of the couples in her class.

But she saw something on her desk that jumped out at her. Right there was a thornless, pink rose with red tips on top of a folded-over piece of paper with a small SD card.

Curious, Marinette went down the stairs to her bed, picked up the rose and SD card, and went to put the latter in to her computer. She didn't feel off about the card just showing up in her room all of a sudden. In fact, for some reason, as she held the small card, she felt a sense of... soothing. Calm, like a security blanket that was placed over her after she was found out in the cold.

So, she plugged it into the computer, and opened the file. The song that played immediately made her lock up, as if she saw an unexpected confession of love or a marriage proposal on one of her favorite TV dramas or movies.

It was guitar music, without any lyrics to it. The music was a slow tempo, adagio at best, with monophonic texture and it was _sounded_ like minor key, yet she felt happy at listening to it.

"What a beautiful song..." She muttered.

As she listened, Marinette's eyes wandered to the note in her hand. She opened it up and read it.

_'I hope you like the rose and the song. It's only one part of the entire piece, but please enjoy what I have for you so far._

_Tout mon amour, _

_V'_

"V?" Marinette asked aloud before continuing to listen to the song.

The song was uplifting, almost as if it were caressing her in love and affection to cheer her up after a bad day. Or like someone was holding her close just for the sake of cuddling with her.

So, she decided to download the song on to her phone as she began to get dressed.

"Marinette! Hurry up or you'll be late for school!" Sabine, her mother, shouted from downstairs.

"Coming!" Marinette said as she rushed to get ready for the day.

Once she got to school, she put her earphones in and continued to listen to her mystery gift. She had it on repeat, and was allowing the music notes to take her on a journey through her mind. Her mind was calm, clear, and peaceful. The music allowed her to mentally relax in a flower meadow in the middle of nowhere, where she could relax in nature and just let her worries fly away with the birds. No super villains, no akumatizations _or_ amokitizations, no collateral damage...

_"Marinette...?"_ A distant voice asked.

Marinette's head was still in the flowers, with bees, butterflies, ladybugs, and small birds surrounding her, feeling so at peace...

_"Marinette?" _The voice asked again.

But she didn't listen, instead choosing to let the music occupy her brain and calm her.

_"MARINETTE! Girl, come back down to Earth, please!" _The voice shouted.

"ACK!" Marinette shouted as her mind snapped back into reality. She shook her head before slapping herself on her cheeks. "Sorry... Um..."

"Are you okay, girl? You've been out of it for a while," Alya said before noticing that Marinette still had her earphones in. "...Listening to a new song?"

"Um, yeah," Marinette said as she shut the music off and put her earphones away. "Nothing important."

"It's gotta be something special if you were _that_ distracted," Alya laughed. "Care to share it?"

"No way!" Marinette said with a laugh in response. "It was a gift!"

"A gift?" Alya asked, her curiosity piqued. "Girl, _details!_ Like _yesterday!_"

Marinette looked around to see if anyone else was in the room, and then cupped her hand around her mouth while saying, "Listen, this _has_ to stay between us, okay?"

"I promise, girl." Alya assured.

"Okay," Marinette said as she took out the letter and gave Alya the earbuds and turned the song on. "I found this in my room this morning, along with a rose."

Alya took the letter from Marinette's hand, put the earbuds in to listen to the music, then quietly read the letter.

Alya listened to the piece on repeat and read the letter over several times. She put the song on pause, took the earbuds out, and then gave the letter back to Marinette before saying, "It's a beautiful song."

"Yeah, I know." Marinette said with a sweet sigh.

But Alya's brow furrowed before asking, "But... V? What kind of a name is _that?_"

"Wish I knew," Marinette said. "Maybe it's short for something. Vic? Or maybe Vidal?"

"What about Vern? Or Victor?" Alya suggested.

"Who knows?" Marinette admitted. "But according to the letter, this is only one part of the song. I think there are going to be more SD cards coming."

"...You said that this was found in your room?" Alya asked.

"Yeah, why?" Marinette began, but then it dawned on her. "Oh... How _did_ this person get in my room anyway?"

The girls looked at each other anxiously, then Alya said, "That's the question."

Marinette's eyes widened a bit before saying, "How did-?!"

"Girl, calm down," Alya said, placating her best friend before she could panic. "Judging by the letter itself, it seems like this guy means well. And the there will be more pieces to the song he'll give you."

Marinette nodded her head before giving a slight smile.

**_*BANG!* *BRRRING!*_**

_"Akuma Alert! Akuma Alert!" _The girls' phones beeped loudly.

Alya took her phone out and said, "There's an akuma!"

"Here? At the school?!" Marinette near-panicked.

"Yeah!" Alya said. "Apparently Adrien decided to piss someone off again and now the poor guy's been akumatized! Not only that, but Cat Noir's there, too, _and_ there's a sentimonster!"

"A triple threat?! How's Viperion going to stop all three of them?" Marinette questioned.

"He'll find a way! He always does!" Alya said as she stood up. "Let's go! I'll try and get footage for the blog, but from a safe distance!"

"Good!" Marinette said as the girls scrambled out of the classroom to run.

As they were running through the halls, the intercom went off and the principal said, _"Effective immediately, all students are to remain on lockdown!"_

The girls were so preoccupied with listening to the announcement, they didn't realize that someone else was running down the next hallway.

_*BANG!*_

"Ouch!" Marinette groaned as she fell on her rear.

"I'm so sorry- wait, Marinette?" A familiar voice said. "Good to see you again."

Marinette looked up and saw Viperion again.

"Viperion? You're fast," Marinette said as he helped her stand up. "You here to get the akuma and amok?"

"Yep," He said, his eyes stuck to Marinette's face. "I think that classmate of yours, Adrien, did something to upset someone."

"We gathered." Alya said in deadpan.

Viperion and Marinette didn't stop staring at each other, both were smiling at one another, and Marinette was blushing while Viperion was kept his charming grin on.

Alya couldn't help but grin at the sight of her BFF and a superhero getting close.

Immediately remembering the matter at hand, Viperion blinked and shook his head.

"Anyway, get to safety, the school's on lockdown!" Viperion said as he ran past the girls.

"You heard him, come on!" Alya said before grabbing Marinette by the wrist, dragging her into a vacant classroom and slamming the door shut.

Due to the damage (minimal) and the amount of time it took to finish (the rest of the school day), classes were dismissed for the day. The teachers didn't assign any of the homework or projects that they intended on because of the fight. Thus, Marinette decided to play it safe and go home.

As she left the building for the school, she didn't notice that there was a pair of green eyes watching her.

* * *

The following morning, a Saturday, Marinette once again woke up to the sunlight in her room. She yawned and sat up in the bed, and then looked down to the desk.

Just like she predicted (and hoped), there was another SD, a note, and a rose, this time in lavender.

She got up and jogged down the stairs to the desk, and she picked the items up.

_"Here's the next part of the song. Please, enjoy listening to it._

_Tout mon amour,_

_V"_

Marinette smiled and she put the card in the computer again. The next part of the song sounded like a direct continuation of the first, like they were meant to go together seamlessly. Yet again, the song took her to a place of near-nirvana and she couldn't help but lose her head in the clouds.

_"Marinette!" _Sabine shouted from downstairs. She then popped her head in through the trap door to Marinette's room, holding a plate of _pains au chocolat._

"Oh, mom!" Marinette said as she stopped the music and made for her closet. "I'm almost ready for school, so-"

"Marinette, did you forget that it's a Saturday?" Sabine giggled. "There's no school."

"A... Oh, right," Marinette said, embarrassed when she looked at the calendar. "Oops. So, what's the matter?"

"Alya's here," Sabine said as Alya's head popped up. "You slept pretty late, so I brought the two of you some breakfast."

"Thanks, mom," Marinette said as Alya came into the room, took the plate, and brought them over to Marinette. "We'll be down soon enough."

"Okay, have fun. And if there are any akuma or amok alerts..." Sabine began.

"We know," Marinette said. "Stay out of trouble."

"Good." Sabine said before going back downstairs and shutting the door.

"Good, she's gone," Alya said before turning to Marinette. "So, any new developments?"

"Yeah, I got another note, SD card, and rose," Marinette said as she presented the gifts. "The last rose was pink with red tips, and this time the rose is lavender."

"You know, I read somewhere that lavender roses mean _enchantment_, or even _love at first sight_." Alya said, in a teasing tone.

Marinette blushed before saying, "Come on, Alya. You really think that?"

"That's what it says on this website." Alya said in a singsong voice as she pulled up a website page on her phone titled, "The Language of Flowers." There was a section on roses, too.

"Oh-kay... I stand corrected," Marinette admitted. "A-Anyway, I was just listening to the second piece of the song. Here."

Marinette started playing the music again and had it on repeat. The soothing sound filled the room, easing the little tension that the girls were feeling.

"It's so soothing," Alya said. "Whoever this V person is, he _definitely_ wants you to feel good."

"Yeah," Marinette said, blushing. "I can't really deny that this music is really relaxing. It really helps, especially with everyone being so tense and worried about the super villains."

"Yeah... Now that I think about it, I wonder if Viperion has help?" Alya asked aloud. "He's only one person against _three_ super villains, and even _if_ both he _and_ Cat Noir are actively trying to keep casualties and collateral damage to a minimum..."

"Yeah," Marinette agreed. "It isn't a one-person job."

"Let's not dwell on depressing stuff, girl," Alya laughed. "Since this is probably a Valentine's Day present from someone, what are you planning on doing for him?"

Marinette's face paled and she freaked out, "I hadn't thought about that _at all! _Oh, damn it!"

Right then and there...

"There's no way I can make a meaningful present for him if I don't know who he is! What's his favorite color?! Foods he likes?! Oh, what do I do?! What do I make?!" Marinette said as she flew around the room like a hurricane.

She snagged her sketchbook and pencils, but she was so fast that her pencils and papers scattered around the room.

_"Marinette! Chill out!" _Alya shouted, grabbing Marinette by the shoulders. _"Breathe!"_

Marinette breathed in through her nose, held it for a second, and then let all of her air out. She then looked at Alya.

"Girl," Alya began. "You need to _relax_. Besides, the guy _clearly_ likes you."

"Yeah," Marinette agreed, and then she saw something in her closet. "Aha... I have an idea!"

Marinette then ran over to her supply closet and took out a few things, an idea cooking up in her head.

"Time to get to work!" Marinette said as she took up her fallen sketchbook and started sketching out a design as a present for the anonymous gift-giver.

"What are you thinking, girl?" Alya asked.

"You'll see." Marinette replied with a smile as she took out her pencils.

The rest of the day went by peacefully, with Alya and Marinette working on the present while discussing who the mystery suitor was, and once Marinette got a good chunk of it done, they decided to go to the mall to get more supplies.

After that, the rest of the weekend was mostly quiet (aside from _one_ akumatization, however, but luckily there was no sentimonster, so it was a relatively fast fight).

School came around again, and now Marinette was sitting at her desk with her headphones in and listening to the fourth part of the song she'd gotten that morning while gazing at the rose (this time it was yellow; the rose the day before was white) and holding on to the note.

Marinette was humming along to the song while reading over the letter.

"Morning, Marinette!" Alya said as she came over and sat down next to her BFF.

"Hi, Alya," Marinette all but loudly swooned. "Another note and rose."

"I can tell you're listening to the song," Alya laughed. "How many does that make it?"

"This is the fourth part," Marinette absently breathed while handing Alya the next note. "I'm keeping the roses and notes."

"It says... _"Roses have their own language. This yellow rose is my way of telling you that I hope this next piece of the song makes you happy. Enjoy it. Tout mon amour, V." _Wow, whoever this V guy is has it bad for you."

"Yeah..." Marinette murmured, her mind elsewhere. "Waking up to these roses every morning is so comforting."

"But let me ask you something: do you feel safe, even knowing someone's been coming and going in your room?" Alya asked, in all seriousness.

"...Weirdly enough, yes," Marinette admitted. "I feel like... even though he's been doing that, it's not like he's snooping around in my things. Aside from the presents, nothing's out of place in the morning. It's more like I have a friend who prefers to take less traditional methods of entry."

"Then I don't think you have anything to worry about." Alya said, waving the concept off.

"Worry about _what?_" A voice asked and the girls looked up to see Adrien.

"Oh, um, nothing," Marinette said as she quickly hid the rose out of sight while Alya put the paper down. "Just... hoping that there's no akuma on Valentine's. Last year was a disaster, with Dark Cupid and all."

"Yeah, I'm hoping for a quiet day, too," Adrien agreed, his eyes directly on Marinette. "I don't want any... Disruptions..."

He gave Marinette a small smile and he started to go to his seat in the classroom.

"That was close," Alya whispered. "The last thing I wanted to hear was him bashing your secret beau."

Marinette nodded in agreement.

"So, any luck on your present?" Alya asked.

"Yep, it should be done in a few days," Marinette said. "Now I just need to find a way to get it to him. Oh, I know!"

A couple of nights later, Marinette was in her pajamas, settled into bed, and just turned out the lights, with only the soft, pale glow of the moon seeping in from her skylight. The present she made for V was sitting on her desk, with a folded-up note stating, "To: V."

She yawned, pulled her blankets over her, and snuggled into her bed. Almost instantly, she fell asleep, a small smile on her face. She mentally played the incomplete piece on repeat in her mind, letting the relaxing song lull her to sleep.

Her skylight window slowly opened up...

When Marinette woke up the next morning, she immediately looked at her desk. Sure enough, her package to her admirer was gone, and in its place was an SD card, a letter, and this time, a peach rose was there.

Marinette giggled, got out of her bed, and she went over to gather up the gifts.

_"Thank you very much for your present. I'll cherish it. In exchange, here's a peach rose, a symbol of appreciation and gratitude, and the next portion of the song. Enjoy both of them, and I'll see you soon._

_Tout mon amour,_

_V"_

Marinette blushed and put the thornless flower behind her ear as she plugged the SD card into her computer.

Just as the song started playing, Marinette's phone started going off. She picked up and saw that it was Alya calling her for a video chat.

"Hey Alya," Marinette swooned loudly. "How's it going?"

"Great, girl," Alya said. "I was just calling to check on you and see if your little present was taken. But judging by your face, I'd say yes."

Marinette gave a nod as she held up the rose.

"Oh, peach! That means gratitude and appreciation! Looks like he was _really_ happy about his present..." Alya began, but then she noticed something in the background. "Hey Marinette, move your phone to your bed, please?"

Marinette redirected the phone to face her loft bed.

"Aha," Alya said, as if something finally made sense. _"NOW_ I get it."

"Get _what_, Alya?" Marinette questioned.

"I get how he's getting in and out of your room - your balcony entrance." Alya explained.

"Why didn't I realize that sooner?!" Marinette said, face-palming and turning the phone back to face her.

"Relax, girl," Alya said. "You don't feel like you're in any danger, and it's not like there are any akumas stalking you, right?"

"If there _was_ an akuma stalking me, there would've been an alert about it by now." Marinette deadpanned.

"Can't argue with that, girl," Alya laughed. "Anyway, what did the note say?"

"The note told me thanks for the gift, and "see you soon." He mentioned the meaning of the peach rose." Marinette said.

"Hang on," Alya said. "The note said "see you soon," you say?"

"Yeah," Marinette said, her mind still in the clouds. "Why do you sound so concerned?"

"Because I think this guy might eventually reveal himself to you!" Alya said in realization. "By coming in through the balcony opening like he has been up to now!"

Marinette's mind cleared, then she asked, "Wait, how has he been getting up to the balcony?!"

"That's the question," Alya replied, then an idea came to mind. "Why not try to trap him?"

"A trap?" Marinette asked. "That doesn't sound very nice."

"Good point, but you've got the right to meet him, don't you?" Alya asked before shouting was heard inn the background. "Anyway, I gotta go - the twins are acting up again."

"Okay, Alya. Thanks." Marinette said as she and Alya hung up.

* * *

Around 10PM on the 13th, Marinette had her "trap" set. She laid in her bed, meanwhile she had a subtle trip-wire made of thread that would activate a very complicated contraption which would trigger the flashlight that she hooked up to her bed.

She began to fall asleep, but she wanted to stay awake enough so that way if her trap got sprung, she didn't miss a thing.

After what felt like over an hour, Marinette was about to nod off completely.

_*CREAK...*_

Marinette held totally still as she heard her skylight open up. It was too dark, so she couldn't see who was stepping over her and climbing down the ladder. Marinette continued holding still, then she saw him trip the wire out of his peripheral vision.

"Ah!" He shouted as he covered his eyes.

"Gotcha!" Marinette said in delight, sitting up in the bed. "Now I can see who..."

But the face she saw took her _completely_ be surprise. There in her room...

_"Viperion?!" _Marinette said, her eyes wide. "What are you...?"

He was wearing the present she made him: around his neck was a black scarf that had her name stitched in to it. Her eyes zeroed in on his hand, that held the SD card and the note. She gasped in epiphany.

"Surprise." He said with a chuckle.

"You... 'V' as in _Viperion_..." Marinette muttered.

Marinette turned the flashlight out, got out of bed and went down the stairs to approach him after he turned on the lamp in her room.

"This whole time, _you've_ been the one leaving me the notes and music?" Marinette questioned, her eyes alight with wonder and awe.

"Yep," He chuckled. "I came by tonight to bring you the final piece, then gently wake you up and talk, but I guess this works, too."

The two of them chuckled, and then Marinette sat on the stairs to her bed.

"So..." Marinette began, not sure how to continue the conversation.

Of all people for her to be leaving her gifts, a _superhero_ was _definitely_ not on the list of possible suitors. And now that he was standing there in front of her, she was lost for words. What was she going to say? This was the _only_ person in the world defending Paris from Hawk Moth and his team of evil Miraculous owners. Surely he had more exciting things to talk about than she did?

"Wanna go up to the balcony?" He asked, thumb-jerking to the ceiling.

"I... I'd love that." Marinette agreed, blushing. Maybe being under the stars would help her think of something to say?

The two of them climbed up onto the balcony, and Marinette looked up to the star-speckled sky as Viperion came next to her.

"W-Well... this certainly isn't something I was expecting," Marinette admitted, blushing. "You're the last person I'd think of to be doing this - UM, I mean, I didn't think it'd be you because you're a superhero and I'm just plain ol' me, and-"

Viperion was chuckling, cutting Marinette's rambling off.

"Marinette, you're so much more than that," Viperion spoke as he stepped closer to her. "You're unbelievably brave, running headfirst into danger whenever you can, like the other day."

Marinette blushed at the praise.

"And it's not the first time you've tried to help during trouble," Viperion spoke with a tender tone. "Remember when you were asked out by Evillustrator?"

"Oh, yeah..." Marinette said, remembering that incident.

Long story short, Marinette's classmate, Nathaniel Kurtzberg, a redheaded sketch artist, was caught drawing in class and Chloé loudly pointed out that the drawings were of him as a superhero, rescuing a damsel-in-distress, who happened to be Marinette. And while Adrien added to the mocking of the drawing, he _did_ say something along the lines of Nathaniel having good taste in girls. That didn't really help the redhead's emotional state, though. He got akumatized over it, but as far as akumatized victims went, he targetted Chloé and Adrien directly, but was actually pretty friendly towards Marinette, even asking her out on a date.

Viperion witnessed the asking out unfold, and asked Marinette to help him get the akuma. It didn't necessarily go according to plan, and Marinette clearly didn't like hurting Nate's feelings, either. But the akuma was taken care of, irregardless.

"I really didn't like doing that to him, but you needed my help." Marinette said.

"I know, that couldn't have been easy. And I don't think Cat Noir saw it coming, either," Viperion added. "Also, there were so many more times you've stepped up to help me."

"But you said it yourself: I shouldn't be putting myself in danger," Marinette admitted. "Talking Lila down when she was akumatized didn't really work..."

Viperion pulled an uncomfortable face. They both remembered _that_.

Lila Rossi was the new girl in school, and she was spinning a lot of crazy stories about her life as a diplomat's daughter. The lies were elaborate, including flying private jet with a prince, having Jagged Stone write a song for her, doing charity work all over the work, etc. They were elaborate lies, and yet they were easily dispelled with research.

But the _biggest_ lie she told was that she was friends with Viperion, who saved her life covertly when she first moved to Paris. And then tried using that lie to "befriend" Marinette, with the empty promise that she'd hook her up with Viperion.

The part that ticked the snake off the most was that he caught Lila lying to Marinette about having the heritage of vixen super heroine named Volpina, including a forgery of the Fox Miraculous to go with it.

And the lies didn't even stop _there_. She even had the absolute _nerve_ to lie and say that she had superheroes in her entire family, and that Viperion was jealous of her.

He confronted her on the issue, right in front of Marinette. Even though he was angry about Lila lying to his crush about him, he _tried_ to be as gentle about it, trying to educate her about the unnecessary target she'd put on herself, _and_ the social-emotional consequences of her lies when they got undone, including losing the trust of her classmates, her reputation, etc.

But instead of being understanding about it, it only made things _worse_. Marinette ran off in near-tears, hurt from the deception, and then Lila was akumatized into Volpina, who could create illusions that were super-realistic.

She tried to trick Viperion into thinking she was an ally, including creating illusions of her stopping a meteor, and Hawk Moth being out in the open with Cat Noir. She crossed the line when she tried tricking Marinette into thinking her lies were true. When Marinette tried to convince her to do the right thing and stop, Lila tried to hurt her. She also created an illusion of herself dangling Marinette from the Eiffel Tower to try to get Viperion to surrender his Miraculous.

None of her trickery or illusions _worked_, even for one _nanosecond_. Viperion saw _right_ through it all, and defeated her easily.

As a result, all of Lila's lies unraveled at school, and she became nothing short of hated there.

Lila still held a grudge against Viperion to that very day.

"I... I'm sorry I couldn't do more to stop her." Marinette admitted.

"It's okay," Viperion assured, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You did what you could."

Marinette blushed again.

"...Anyway, I _was_ attracted to you when we first met, and all our encounters afterwords made me fall for you over time," He said as he pulled out his lyre. "So... Here's my Valentine's Day gift to you."

He sat down on one of the chairs on the balcony, and gestured for Marinette to come closer, to which she responded in kind. He then started strumming his lyre. Marinette gasped lightly when she heard the music. It was the same song he'd been sharing with her in pieces the whole period of time he was leaving her gifts.

_"You're in my heart in every way, and I think of you every day,"_ He sang as he approached Marinette with a few steps. _"And sure as I breathe the air, I know we'd be the perfect pair. __On a winding path that goes on for miles..."_

Marinette couldn't take her eyes off Viperion as he kept playing his lyre.

_"But it's worth just to see your smile," _He crooned. _"And I will not be pulled apart, from the hold you have on my heart. And even if the haters say it's wrong... You're in my head like this very song."_

"Oh... Oh, wow..." Marinette said, her eyes about shed tears.

"You like it?" He asked her.

"This is the best gift I could've ever _gotten!_" Marinette squealed as she kept watching and listening with a happy smile.

_"Seasons change, and leaves may fall, but I'll be with you through it all," _Viperion sang. _"And rain or shine, I hope you'll be mine."_

Marinette's face melted with joy as she continued listening to his voice.

_"On a winding path that goes on for miles," _He sang as gestured for Marinette to come closer. _"You are one person that makes it all worthwhile." _

Marinette soon found herself leaning against his arm, but he didn't object.

_"And you should not blame me, too, if I can't help falling in love with you..." _He sang, but then he stopped singing and playing.

He looked down at Marinette, and saw she was blushing and smiling at the last line of the song. Tears of joy were streaming down her face.

"That was beautiful..." Marinette cried.

"I'm glad you like it." He said.

The giant clock in the town square chimed out loudly. The pair looked out to the clock and saw that it was midnight on the dot.

Viperion once again chuckled, then he turned to Marinette.

"Happy Valentine's Day." He said, as he pulled out another present for Marinette.

Another rose. But this time, it wasn't just _any_ rose. It was a full, fresh, thornless _red_ rose.

Marinette's eyes sparkled, both surprised and delighted at the sight of the iconic flower. She knew what it meant.

"Viperion..." Marinette said breathlessly, looking at him.

"I got you this, and-" Viperion began.

But Marinette leaped onto Viperion, put her hands on his chest, and smashed her lips against his, causing him to drop the rose - Marinette caught it in her hand without looking. Though surprised at first, Viperion reciprocated her kiss, moaning in ecstasy as he hugged her close to him, with one hand on her waist while stroking her head with his free hand.

They were deaf to the chiming of the clock. The two of them continued kissing, moaning in joy, and tenderly touching each other. Without pulling away from her or even _looking_, Viperion fingered the rose out of Marinette's hand, and gently slipped it behind Marinette's ear.

After pulling away from her snaky beau, she touched the rose behind her hair. She giggled at the velvet texture, and she looked back at Viperion.

She noticed that he was holding something in the palm of his hand. A small, dark red, octagonal box with a red symbol on it.

Marinette looked at the box with a big blush on her face, thinking it was going to be some sort of fancy jewelry present, and looked up at him in shock. But instead of a loving smile, she saw that he looked pretty serious.

"I need you." He said, his tone matching his face.

* * *

**And DONE! Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this one-shot. I'm sure the ending sort of speaks for itself and we can all guess what happens.**

**As for what happened in this AU version of Volpina regarding the grimoire and Luka's role in that episode, it sort of went like this: Gabriel gave Adrien the grimoire to study at school, but he winds up losing it. Then Marinette gets her hands on it somehow, and Lila catches her reading it in the library. Luka was only in the library to do research for a school assignment, not completely aware of Lila's shit, but then Sass points out the grimoire and instructs him to get it back. Luka _does_ get the grimoire back, but by then he realizes what a piece of work Lila is, and then you know the rest.**

**And in this one, Alya DOES double-check her sources, only showing Marinette the video and not posting on the blog until she gets confirmation from Viperion.**

**As for Adrien, he actually reported the lies about Viperion to Gabriel, who instructed Adrien to _piss Lila off_ so she'd be akumatized, but Viperion beat him to the punch. Also, Viperion is/was also able to see through the illusions because the official Miraculous Ladybug wiki mentioned that the users of the Snake Miraculous have infrared vision, like most venomous snakes in the real world. I actually had the idea of a Volpina vs. Viperion one-shot that didn't really work out where this would've come into play.**


End file.
